A New Method to Describe Image Theory for an Imperfect Conductor

Problem statement: Modify the equations associated with image theory in order to account for perfect and imperfect conductors. Approach: A novel approach for describing the application of image theory for an imperfect conductive surface was presented. The method presented here purposely downplays the physics of how image theory was employed to account for a charge which is in the presence of an imperfect conductive surface. In turn, it adopted an approach which focused on the geometry that existed between the charged particle and surface ground. In doing so, the proposed method formulated a solution that had minimized the complexity of the original problem while providing an approximation founded upon a geometric relationship. Results: The equations derived had elicited the concept of using plane geometry to augment image theory. Conclusion: A method for evaluating image theory for the imperfect conductor had been presented. As the results had shown, the equations derived had provided an augmented approach to account for surfaces which were both perfect and imperfect

The Horizontal Electric Field Induced by a Lightning Return Stroke

Problem statement: Develop a new formula which describes the horizontal electric field induced by a lightning return stroke in contact with an imperfect conductive surface. Approach: A new method for describing the horizontal electric field induced by a lightning return stroke will be presented. The method presented here had utilized an approach which purposely downplayed the physics of how image theory was employed in the presence of an imperfect conductive surface. It did so by adopting a technique which had focused on the geometry that existed between the lightning channel and surface ground. In doing so, new expressions for surface currents had been derived. This study presented the derivation of these currents along with the horizontal electric field which transpired as a result of their usage. Results: The equation derived had elicited the concept that the channel\u27s image varies with surface conductivity. Conclusion: A method for deriving the horizontal electric field induced by a lightning return stroke had been presented. As the results had shown, once the surface conductivity began to decrease, the horizontal electric field played an increasingly more significant role

The Magnetic Field Induced by a Lightning Strikes Indirect Effect Double Exponential Current Waveform

Problem statement: Develop a new formula which describes the magnetic field induced by a lightning strike\u27s indirect effect double exponential current waveform. Approach: A novel approach for developing a closed-form solution for the magnetic field from the indirect effect double exponential current waveform will be presented. In the literature, models typically employ the pulse waveform to derive the corresponding electromagnetic fields. However, given the Department of Defense (DoD) has incorporated the double exponential current waveform as part of their Electromagnetic Environmental Effects Requirements For Systems , we felt it important to develop a solution for the magnetic field which utilized this waveform. In order to facilitate the integration required for deriving the field, Taylor series expansion was used for all variable dependent exponential terms. In many publications, the dipole and monopole techniques have been used when solving for the magnetic field. However, for this study the dipole technique was deemed the preferred method for evaluating the field. A derivation of the magnetic field will be presented along with a graphical illustration of the field\u27s distribution over time. Results: The equation presented utilized Taylor series to augment the integration required to solve for the magnetic field. Conclusion: A new method for deriving the magnetic field induced by a lightning strike\u27s indirect effect double exponential has been presented. By approximating the variable dependent exponential terms, we were able to minimize the complexity of the mathematics required to solve for the magnetic field in closed-form

How Lightning Tortuosity Affects the Electromagnetic Fields by Augmenting Their Effective Distance

A novel approach for developing the electromagnetic fields from a lightning return stroke which follows a tortuous path will be presented. The proposed model is unique in that it recognizes that the symmetrical tortuosity of lightning directly impacts the observable distance r, which in turn, alters the resulting electromagnetic fields. In the literature, lightning return stroke models typically employ the assumption that the cloud-to-ground path is straight. Although this assumption yields fairly consistent results across an array of varying approaches, it does not account for lightning\u27s natural physical appearance. Furthermore, straight-line models only account for the cloud-to-ground discharges and do not address branching and/or cloud-to-cloud discharges which are far more common. In reality, the steps which make up the lightning channel\u27s initial descent are staggered or tortuous with respect to each other. Given this fact, the upward traveling current wavefront which follows this prescribed path will exhibit the same characteristics. In doing so, each current segment, which forms along its respective step, induces electromagnetic fields with angular aggregates that propagate outward from their origin. This, in turn, will generate spatial points where there are fields of higher and lower intensities. The results presented in this paper will show how the effective observable distance due to symmetrical tortuosity alters the resulting electromagnetic fields. Furthermore, it will be shown that as the observable distance r is increased, results from the proposed model closely resemble the straight-line model which strongly suggests that symmetrical tortuosity is only influential at relatively close distances

Stability analysis and \mu-synthesis control of brake systems

The concept of friction-induced brake vibrations, commonly known as judder, is investigated. Judder vibration is based on the class of geometrically induced or kinematic constraint instability. After presenting the modal coupling mechanism and the associated dynamic model, a stability analysis as well as a sensitivity analysis have been conducted in order to identify physical parameters for a brake design avoiding friction-induced judder instability. Next, in order to reduce the size of the instability regions in relation to possible system parameter combinations, robust stability via \mu-synthesis is applied. By comparing the unstable regions between the initial and controlled brake system, some general indications emerge and it appears that robust stability via \mu-synthesis has some effect on the instability of the brake system

End-to-end deep learning for directly estimating grape yield from ground-based imagery

Yield estimation is a powerful tool in vineyard management, as it allows growers to fine-tune practices to optimize yield and quality. However, yield estimation is currently performed using manual sampling, which is time-consuming and imprecise. This study demonstrates the application of proximal imaging combined with deep learning for yield estimation in vineyards. Continuous data collection using a vehicle-mounted sensing kit combined with collection of ground truth yield data at harvest using a commercial yield monitor allowed for the generation of a large dataset of 23,581 yield points and 107,933 images. Moreover, this study was conducted in a mechanically managed commercial vineyard, representing a challenging environment for image analysis but a common set of conditions in the California Central Valley. Three model architectures were tested: object detection, CNN regression, and transformer models. The object detection model was trained on hand-labeled images to localize grape bunches, and either bunch count or pixel area was summed to correlate with grape yield. Conversely, regression models were trained end-to-end to predict grape yield from image data without the need for hand labeling. Results demonstrated that both a transformer as well as the object detection model with pixel area processing performed comparably, with a mean absolute percent error of 18% and 18.5%, respectively on a representative holdout dataset. Saliency mapping was used to demonstrate the attention of the CNN model was localized near the predicted location of grape bunches, as well as on the top of the grapevine canopy. Overall, the study showed the applicability of proximal imaging and deep learning for prediction of grapevine yield on a large scale. Additionally, the end-to-end modeling approach was able to perform comparably to the object detection approach while eliminating the need for hand-labeling

The Biomolecular Interaction Network Database and related tools 2005 update

The Biomolecular Interaction Network Database (BIND) (http://bind.ca) archives biomolecular interaction, reaction, complex and pathway information. Our aim is to curate the details about molecular interactions that arise from published experimental research and to provide this information, as well as tools to enable data analysis, freely to researchers worldwide. BIND data are curated into a comprehensive machine-readable archive of computable information and provides users with methods to discover interactions and molecular mechanisms. BIND has worked to develop new methods for visualization that amplify the underlying annotation of genes and proteins to facilitate the study of molecular interaction networks. BIND has maintained an open database policy since its inception in 1999. Data growth has proceeded at a tremendous rate, approaching over 100 000 records. New services provided include a new BIND Query and Submission interface, a Standard Object Access Protocol service and the Small Molecule Interaction Database (http://smid.blueprint.org) that allows users to determine probable small molecule binding sites of new sequences and examine conserved binding residues

Direct measurement of the phi(1020) leptonic branching ratio

The process e+e-->mu+mu- has been studied by SND detector at VEPP-2M e+e- collider in the phi(1020)-resonance energy region. The measured effective phi meson leptonic branching ratio: B(phi->l+l-)=sqrt{B(phi->e+e-)*B(phi->mu+mu-)}=(2.89+-0.10+-0.06)*10^{-4} agrees well with the PDG value B(phi->e+e-)=(2.91+-0.07)*10^{-4} confirming mu-e universality. Without additional assumption of mu-e universality the branching ratio B(phi->mu+mu-)=(2.87+-0.20+-0.14)*10^{-4} was obtained.Comment: RevTeX, 5 pages, 3 figures. To be published in Phys. Rev. Let

A review of friction models in interacting joints for durability design.

This paper presents a comprehensive review of friction modelling to provide an understanding of design for durability within interacting systems. Friction is a complex phenomenon and occurs at the interface of two components in relative motion. Over the last several decades, the effects of friction and its modelling techniques have been of significant interests in terms of industrial applications. There is however a need to develop a unified mathematical model for friction to inform design for durability within the context of varying operational conditions. Classical dynamic mechanisms model for the design of control systems has not incorporated friction phenomena due to non-linearity behaviour. Therefore, the tribological performance concurrently with the joint dynamics of a manipulator joint applied in hazardous environments needs to be fully analysed. Previously the dynamics and impact models used in mechanical joints with clearance have also been examined. The inclusion of reliability and durability during the design phase is very important for manipulators which are deployed in harsh environmental and operational conditions. The revolute joint is susceptible to failures such as in heavy manipulators these revolute joints can be represented by lubricated conformal sliding surfaces. The presence of pollutants such as debris and corrosive constituents has the potential to alter the contacting surfaces, would in turn affect the performance of revolute joints, and puts both reliability and durability of the systems at greater risks of failure. Key literature is identified and a review on the latest developments of the science of friction modelling is presented here. This review is based on a large volume of knowledge. Gaps in the relevant field have been identified to capitalise on for future developments. Therefore, this review will bring significant benefits to researchers, academics and industrial professionals